Aloha Stadium hosting 2013 Pro Bowl

May 31, 2012

NEW YORK - After a promise from players that the game will be more competitive, the NFL has announced it will hold the Pro Bowl in Honolulu on Jan. 27, a week before the Super Bowl.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had made clear that canceling the all-star game was a possibility after the uninspired play of this year's 59-41 victory by the AFC. After discussions between the league and the players union, the NFL said Wednesday that Aloha Stadium would host the Pro Bowl for a third straight year and 33rd time overall.

"The players have made it clear through the NFL Players Association that they would like the opportunity to continue to play the Pro Bowl in Hawaii," said NFL executive vice president Ray Anderson. "We will support the players on this initiative to improve the Pro Bowl. We have had many discussions with the players in recent years about the Pro Bowl and they recognize that the quality of the game has not been up to NFL standards. We look forward to working with the players toward the goal of improving the competitiveness of this season's game."

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Ray AndersonNFL executive vice president

The Pro Bowl was held in Hawaii from 1980 to 2009. In 2010, the NFL moved the game to the week before the Super Bowl for the first time, and it was held in Miami, site of the Super Bowl that year. The Pro Bowl returned to Hawaii for 2011 and 2012 but remained one week before the Super Bowl.

"The players believe that the Pro Bowl is an important tradition," NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth said. "We worked hard with the league to make sure the best players in the NFL are honored for their achievements on the field."

Gov. Neil Abercrombie and Mike McCartney, chief executive of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, hinted that the state plans to deepen its ties to the league by helping it establish relationships in Asia.

"Beyond Hawaii's shores, we look forward to assisting the NFL in expanding upon their relationships in Japan, and help them to establish a presence in China - both important markets for Hawaii tourism," McCartney said.

McCartney said the relationship of more than 30 years goes beyond the Pro Bowl game itself, and both the state and the NFL would work on improving the overall experience.

"Hawaii looks forward to building upon our long-standing relationship with the NFL Pro Bowl well into the future," McCartney said.

Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle said he was "thrilled that the NFL Pro Bowl is going to return in 2013."

"Our residents, visitors, military and many others look forward to this exciting event," he added. "There is electricity in the air when the Pro Bowl is approaching and the festive atmosphere continues even after the game as people stay here to enjoy our beautiful island home. The Pro Bowl has long had the support of the city and county of Honolulu."

David Uchiyama, the chief negotiator for the tourism authority in its talks with the NFL, said the state is pushing to follow the current one-year deal with a longer agreement that would put the Pro Bowl in Honolulu at least five times in seven years.

Uchiyama said the current deal's financial terms were similar to those of the previous one, with the state paying the league about $4.2 million to host the game. He added that his talks with the league have included introducing longer-term ideas that reach far beyond the Pro Bowl, such as establishing a developmental league based in Hawaii.

"That's really a dream," Uchiyama said.

This year, the Pro Bowl had 12.5 million television viewers, making it the most-watched all-star game for the 2011 sports season.

* The Associated Press' Oskar Garcia and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.